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by louisa_pennyfeather21



Series: Newsies Lyric Prompts [2]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Accident, F/F, F/M, I'm bad at tags, Lyric Prompt, M/M, but there is an accident, dad!Jack, hit and run, i love the dad!jack/son!race dynamic, no graphic violence, son!race
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26465257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisa_pennyfeather21/pseuds/louisa_pennyfeather21
Summary: Race is lost.He’s running.His best friend was arrested for something he didn’t do.He came out to his dad after years of turmoil and thinks he's made a mistake.He’s mocked because of how young his dad is.He just can’t take it anymore.It hurts too much.Jack is worried sick.He knows Race is somewhere in the city.And he knows he has to find his baby boy.He has to show Race that he cares and that Race didn’t make a mistake.So he searches late into the night until he finds him.And he brings him home.This idea was founded by @SomedayonBroadway! They introduced the Dad!Jack/Son!Race dynamic to me!
Series: Newsies Lyric Prompts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1923919
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





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**Author's Note:**

  * For [SomedayonBroadway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomedayonBroadway/gifts).



> I wrote this in the span of four hours, most of it being written while I was at school and should've been doing my work.

  
  


_ Home _

_ A place where I can go _

_ To take this off my shoulders _

_ Someone take me home _

Everything hurts. Why does everything hurt? His chest is so tight, his eyes burn. He’s breathing, but he feels like he’s choking. Like there’s a rope so tight around his neck, but just loose enough for him to breathe.

Race is running. He’s shoving past people walking on the streets with blurred vision and ragged breaths. People yell at him. Some ask if he’s okay, others angry at him for shoving them. He doesn’t mean to, he really doesn’t. He just needs to get away, he needs to escape.

He did this to himself. He messed up. This is all his fault. He should’ve just kept his mouth shut. He should’ve never made friends. He should’ve never started liking boys. He should’ve never felt comfortable with liking boys. He never should’ve started trusting anyone.

He didn’t realize he could lose everything by getting everything.

So he runs. Down the sidewalks of the city, weaving through the afternoon traffic jams and bolting through alleyways. He can’t think about anything but how he messed up. His mind is cloudy, matching his vision as tears stream down his face.

He passes police officers, the fire department, classmates from school, but he doesn’t care. He just keeps running. He deserves the weird looks.  _ I did this to myself _ , he thinks.

_ I did this to myself. _

_ It’s my fault. _

_ I did this to myself. _

  
  


***

_ Home _

_ A place where I can go _

_ To take this off my shoulders _

_ Someone take me home _

_ Someone take me- _

“Tony! Anthony, where are you?” Jack tries his hardest to keep his voice strong as he scans the crowd at the park, blissfully ignorant to his desperation. He’s just another loud voice in a crowd of people. After all, not many people pay mind to a call for help.

Sixteen years. He’s fought for sixteen years to be the best role model- no, the best  _ parent _ he could be. He’s tried to be supportive, he’s tried to show that he wouldn’t care if Tony magically sprouted wings and a second head and that he’d always love his baby boy. Yet somehow, he’d so royally messed up that now he can’t even find his one reason to keep going.

It’s his fault, he should’ve reacted sooner. He shouldn’t have stared, he should have grabbed Tony by the shoulders and hugged him so close that all his son could feel was acceptance. Instead he stared with furrowed eyebrows at the wall, completely silent. He only snapped out of it when he heard the front door of the apartment slam shut.

“Please, Tony!” Jack’s voice falls on deaf ears yet again. He huffs in frustration and starts weaving through the crowd, across the park. He has to find Tony, he has to find his baby. He has to.  _ It’s my fault _ , he thinks over and over again.

_ It’s my fault. _

_ I have to find him. _

_ It’s my fault _

***

_ Look, I didn't power through the struggle _

_ Just to let a little trouble, knock me out of my position _

_ And interrupt the vision _

_ After everything I witnessed, after all of these decisions _

_ All these miles, feet, inches _

_ They can't add up to the distance _

_ That I have been through, just to get to _

_ A place where even if there's no closure, I'm still safe _

_ I still ache from trying to keep pace _

_ Somebody give me a sign, I'm starting to lose faith _

His calves and thighs hurt, his lungs plead for air, but he grits his teeth as he keeps running. He panics at every turn. Someone, some concerned parent, must’ve said something to someone. At almost every corner, there are police officers. Some spot him and yell for him, saying they just want to talk. 

But Race can’t face them, not after what happened to Albert.

He can’t even think about it without more tears flooding his eyes. His best friend did nothing, he could hardly kill a spider. 

And now he’s been denied from every college he was accepted into because of a false accusation that still has him behind bars. 

_ I couldn’t help him _ , Race furiously rubs his eyes as he snakes through alleyways to find somewhere,  _ anywhere _ , safe. There has to be somewhere where he won’t be a disappointment, somewhere he won’t hurt someone. If he can just hide away then no one gets hurt. No one is disappointed. 

“Hey, wait!” Race looks over his shoulder in panic to see a younger police officer rushing towards him with a concerned frown on his face. Race doesn’t hesitate before bolting down the street.

***

_ Now tell me: how did all my dreams turn to nightmares? _

_ How did I lose it when I was right there? _

_ Now I'm so far that it feels like it's all gone to pieces _

_ Tell me why the world never fights fair _

_ I'm trying to find _

How can no one care? How can no one hear him?

Jack’s rushing down the street now, trying to follow the routes Tony takes to school or to the ice cream shop by the park. He looks in every alley, he looks up every fire escape. His heart is hammering in his chest, and he can’t decide whether it's because of running or because of the fear in his chest.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jack jumps when a hand lands on his shoulder. He whips around to see a lanky man quickly pull his hand away with his eyebrows furrowed. Jack blinks rapidly and glances around with a defeated look on his face.

“No, I can’t-” Jack chokes on an invisible knot in his throat, tears pooling in his eyes. He takes a shaky breath and forces his voice to work, even as it trembles. “My son, I can’t find him. I didn’t react quick enough and he ran out of the apartment and I don’t know where he is, I can’t find him. I can’t-”

“Slow down, you’re going to make yourself sick. Just breathe, okay?” The man talks slow, almost like he’s talking to a child. Jack can’t help but think he is. After all, he’s thirty-two with a sixteen year old. 

Jack silently listens and forces his lungs to work, breathing in as much air as he can before releasing it. It trembles, but breathing starts to get easier. He breathes for a minute with the stranger standing next to him outside one of many stores lining the street. People pass by without a care, but Jack focuses on breathing.

“Alright, now what’s your son’s name?” The stranger asks. Jack frowns in confusion as the stranger offers him a sympathetic smile. “You look like you need some help, no parent should have to do this by themselves.”

“Um, Anthony. I call him Tony, though. His friends call him Race or Racetrack. He runs on the track team and he’s fast, so.” Jack breathes a short laugh at the end before having to take a sharp breath to keep from panicking even more. “Uh, he’s tall and blond. He has blue eyes and he’s not really broad.”

“Okay, let’s go.” The stranger nods and Jack doesn’t hesitate to lead the way, trying to trace Tony’s typical paths. “I’m David, most people just call me Dave though.”

“Jack Kelly.” Jack hardly notices David nod. He’s too focused. He  _ has _ to find Tony. 

He has to.

***

_ Home _

_ A place where I can go _

_ To take this off my shoulders _

_ Someone take me home _

_ Home _

_ A place where I can go _

_ To take this off my shoulders _

_ Someone take me home _

_ It's been a long time coming _

_ Someone take me _

Finally.

His legs ache in relief as he hides on the fire escape of an abandoned building. His back rests against the ridged brick wall as he sits on the bars. He can’t help but wrap his arms around his bent knees and hides his face.

_ Everything hurts _ , he thinks as fresh, hot tears burn down the dried streaks on his face. He doesn’t mean the hot tears that bite at his cheeks or the aching in his legs. His chest hurts, his head hurts, everything just  _ hurts _ . 

Why does everything hurt?

***

_ Look, I've been through so much pain _

_ And it's hard to maintain, any smile on my face _

_ 'Cause there's madness on my brain _

_ So I gotta make it back, but my home ain't on the map _

_ Gotta follow what I'm feeling to discover where it's at _

_ I need the memory _

_ In case this fate is forever, just to be sure these last days are better _

_ And if I have any enemies _

_ To give me the strength to look the devil in the face and make it home safe _

  
  


“Why did he run off? If you don’t mind me asking.” David sounds sincere. Jack purses his lips as he sighs, rubbing his eyes. The sun is slowly getting lower over the skyline, orange, pink, and red now painting swirls in the sky. David convinced Jack to stop running for a few minutes to catch his breath.

“I panicked. He trusted me. Trusted me to be supportive and show him that I love him no matter what. The second he tells me something about himself that I honestly wasn’t ready for, I froze and he ran. He’s probably scared and feels horrible and he-” Jack stops and closes his eyes to compose himself before he accidentally works himself up again. “I reacted the same why my folks did, but the difference is they kicked me out. I felt like such a disappointment and so broken. To think I even made Tony feel any of that for even a second… I have to find him, I have to fix this.”

“You’ll find him, Jack. I’ll help you find him.” There’s an edge of finalization in David’s tone, one that makes Jack give him a genuine smile, although it’s more of a grimace. The attempted smile shifts to a frown when David starts rushing around from person to person, making small hand gestures as he talks to them. Jack paces back and forth, trying to think of all the places Tony could be. 

He couldn’t be at Mrs. DaSilva’s house, Jack already called. Besides, Tony had been there in weeks. He wasn’t at Jacobi’s Ice Cream Parlor by the park or Hannah’s dance studio. WHere else could he be hiding-

“Jack!” David’s voice snaps Jack out of his thoughts. He looks up to see David’s wide eyes and partial excitement on his face. “Some people said they saw a blond kid go running past a few minutes ago.”

“Oh my- Where, what direction?” Jack knows he shouldn’t feel relief until he can grab Tony and hold him to keep him safe from ever feeling like he has to run ever again, but he can’t help it.

“This way, come on!”

***

_ Now tell me: how did all my dreams turn to nightmares? _

_ How did I lose it when I was right there? _

_ Now I'm so far that it feels like it's all gone to pieces _

_ Tell me why the world never fights fair _

_ I'm trying to find _

_ Okay, breathe. You gotta do something. You can’t stay here all night. _ Race shakes his head as he tries to separate his thoughts and the hole in his chest that feels like it’s getting bigger by the second.

_ Okay, get up. Find somewhere to sleep. _ He didn’t realize how tired he was until the tears started to subside. He can’t stay here, it’s not safe.

_ Maybe I can go home, sneak in through my window. _ It’s a useless thought, he locked the window the night after Albert was arrested. The thought brings on more frustration and tears. He can’t even have his best friend here for him to cry to. He has no one. No one who accepts him, no one who will love him. 

But he can’t help the stabbing feeling he gets when he thinks of going home. WHere his dad would hug him before he went to bed every night. Where he’d get bad advice on how to deal with his least favorite teachers. Where he’d cry whenever him and Albert had a fight. Where he’d win video games. Where he’d hesitantly confide in his dad all the whispers and snickers he gets because of how young his dad is. It’s his safe place, his  _ home _ . 

“Hey, what are you doing up there?” Panic rushes through Race and he looks down to see the young police officer from earlier at one end of the alleyway. He quickly rushes down the fire escape and bolts towards the other end of the alley. “Hey, wait!”

***

_ Home _

_ A place where I can go _

_ To take this off my shoulders _

_ Someone take me home _

_ Someone take me _

“Dave, are you sure it was this way?” Jack chews on his bottom lip. With every minute that passes, his worry grows. The sun is getting lower and lower, it’s hardly peaking above the New York skyline. 

“Maybe you should call the police.” David offers. They’re walking towards a busy intersection, hoping to cross and keep looking.

“No, I can’t do that. He’s scared of police officers. One of his friends was arrested, but it was a false accusation. He’s still in custody because there’s supposed to be a trial, but Tony’s been scared ever since that he’ll get accused of something and be guilty. He’s a good kid, his friend too. Neither of them have done anything worse than some kids convinced them to try smoking once.”  _ Besides, he hasn’t been missing for 24-hours, _ Jack thinks bitterly. He stares at the sidewalk in front of him as he walks with David, shaking his head.

“Jack, wait, look!” Jack looks to see David pointing across the street to see a skinny, blond boy running towards the intersection. Jack’s mouth dries and his eyes widen when he recognizes the faded blue hoodie and beat up converse that Tony refuses to get rid of.

***

_ I found no cure for the loneliness _

_ I found no cure for the sickness _

_ Nothing here feels like home _

_ Crowded streets, but I'm all alone _

  
  


_ I just need to go home, I  _ **_want_ ** _ to go home _ , Race thinks as he glances behind him to see the police officer rounding the corner of the alleyway.  _ I need to go home, I need my dad. I want- _

“Tony!” Race freezes and blinks in disbelief when he looks across the street and his eyes land on the worried face of his dad. He welcomes the relief he feels when he sees his dad, hardly noticing the stranger next to his dad.

Race doesn’t even think as tears flood his vision once again. He just wants his dad, he wants to go home. Maybe they can work out whatever reason his dad doesn’t accept him. Maybe things can be normal again. So he starts running towards his dad instead of away.

But then there’s a loud noise and then nothing.

***

_ I found no cure for the loneliness _

_ I found no cure for the sickness _

Everything moves in slow motion.

Tony’s feet stepping off the sidewalk and into the crosswalk.

The light turning yellow.

The car not stopping, instead speeding up to try and avoid the oncoming red light.

It all happens in slow motion.

And then it all crashes back into focus.

The screeching of tires from other cars. 

The yelling and screaming of people walking on the sidewalks.

The sound of the speeding car swerving around and pushing through the intersection before disappearing.

And finally the motionless, broken body now near the center of the still intersection.

It all crashes back into focus.

_ “NO!” _

***

  
_ Nothing here feels like home _

_ Crowded streets, but I'm all alone _

__

David panics and races after Jack as he bolts towards the intersection. His mind is spinning with anger and worry over the teen.

He couldn’t blame Tony running into the intersection on the driver of the car, but hitting a teenage boy and just driving on like it hardly mattered? There’s no excuse.

None of that matters now. What matters is the teenage boy who hasn’t moved. David doesn’t even know the teen, he only knows Jack is a father looking for his kid, but he can’t just leave. Especially not now,

So he runs after Jack as the man falls to his knees next to the boy whose body is bent in ways it shouldn’t be and who has too much red covering him.

“No, Tony, come on. I’m right here, I got you, come on.” Jack mumbles as his hands hover above the boy, not knowing where to touch without causing damage. 

“I’m calling 9-1-1.” David says, pulling his phone out. As he does, he notices a police officer sprinting towards them with wide eyes. He all but trips and falls down opposite of Jack.

As David finishes dialing 9-1-1, Jack is panicking even more. 

_ Is he breathing? _

_ Will he wake up? _

_ Why isn’t he moving? _

_ This is my fault. _

_ I did this. _

“Sir, I need you to focus.” Jack flinches and his head snaps up to meet the worried expression of a police officer. “We’re calling an ambulance, I need you to help me keep him stable so I can direct traffic.”

Jack numbly nods, following the officers directions. There’s a piece of fabric in his hand. His hand is grabbed and moved so the fabric is pressing against Tony’s temple.  _ Tony, oh no _ . Jack’s panic returns as the officer stands and starts placing flares around the area before directing the stopped cars. Jack can’t help but reach out with a trembling hand and hold Tony’s cheek. His bottom lip quivers and tears pour down his face, stinging the red skin of his cheeks.

Time doesn’t seem to work properly as David kneels next to Jack and tries to talk, tries to do anything, but it falls on deaf ears.

All Jack can see, all he can hear is Tony. Him giggling as Jack catches him and Albert stealing a cookie from Mrs. DaSilva’s sweet stash when they were little. Tony grinning and cheering after winning his first dance competition. Tony hiding his face in Jack's chest when they watched horror movies on Halloween.

He can feel himself cradling a small, premature baby to his chest for the first time. He can hear the quiet baby noises and smell the sterile smell of the hospital as he hugs the baby to his chest, promising to protect the baby from all the danger of the world. Promising to be the best dad possible. Promising to always be there.

He hardly breaks out of the haze when the EMT’s arrive and David has to pull him away. It’s not until they’re loading the stretcher into the back of an ambulance that Jack can hear clearly and realizes what’s happening. He breaks out of David’s grasp and sprints to the ambulance. AN EMT tries to stop him, but he breaks.

“Please, he’s my son. I can’t leave him, please.” Jack’s voice cracks, his only focus being on his baby boy on the stretcher. The EMT’s don’t argue, but tell him to stay out of the way before he climbs in the ambulance. He grips Tony’s free hand, repeatedly muttering whatever comes into his head.

_ Please be okay. _

***

_ Someone take me _

_ Home _

_ Take me home _

_ Home, home _

_ Someone take me _

_ Home _

_ Nothing here feels like home _

_ Home, home _

Three surgeries.

A shattered knee cap.

One dislocated shoulder.

One broken elbow.

Four broken ribs, two cracked.

A paralysis scare.

Major head trauma, more specifically a major concussion.

Internal bleeding.

And bruising that will last for days, weeks even.

_ But he’s breathing _ , Jack thinks.

He’s sitting in a stiff chair next to Tony, gripping his hand as he breathes evenly. He’s sleeping now, his doctor saying sleep medicine is the best for him at the moment so he can get back his strength from his surgeries. A heart monitor beeps steadily, calming Jack.

_ He’s alive _ , Jack repeatedly reminds himself. 

_ But you did this. _

_ If you hadn’t froze. _

_ If you had just said something. _

_ If you had yelled, told him not to run. _

_ This is your fault. _

The thought plagues Jack’s mind, but he chokes them down and finds solace in the fact that his child, his  _ baby _ , is alive.

“You look like hell.” Jack flinches and his head snaps towards the door. He’s surprised to see David leaning against the door frame with his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“Can’t sleep. Can’t stop thinking.” Jack mutters, his thumb rubbing Tony’s hand absentmindedly.

“I figured.” David breathes a soft laugh. “How’s he doing?”

“The doctor says he’s stable, said she wants him to sleep more so he can get back some strength.” Jack can’t help the small smile that works on his face as he watches Tony. He’s so peaceful, it’s relieving.

“Officer Balletti is checking the security cameras near the intersection to find the driver of the car.” David’s voice is softer now. Jack grits his teeth and nods stiffly. “If he can place a license plate, you could make a case.”

“I plan on it.” It’s the first thing Jack’s said since the hit and run that he’s sounded sure of. He just needs a good lawyer.

“I’ll give you my number and you let me know. I want to help if I can.” Jack frowns at David, receiving an embarrassed rub of the neck as David looks at the floor. “I work at a law firm. I’m a prosecutor. I can present your case if you want me.”

“I don’t have a lawyer.” Jack thinks out loud, chewing on his bottom lip in thought. “Alright. You’re hired.”

“Thanks,” David snorts a quiet laugh, making Jack grin. David glances up at Tony for another minute before pulling a notepad out of his back pocket. He quickly writes something down before tearing the page and handing it to Jack. “I’ll keep in touch with you, Jack.”

“Thank you, David. For everything.” Jack offers the man a genuine smile, this time it doesn’t come off as a grimace. David smiles back at Jack before nodding and leaving.

As he does, Jack hears a soft groan. He nearly gets whiplash from how fast he turns. His heart races as two drooping eyelids flutter open, revealing two beautiful blue eyes. Jack is literally sitting on the edge of his seat as he grips Tony’s hand in his. He waits for those beautiful eyes to find him, eyelids still fluttering from sleep.

“Dad? Where… where are we?” Race’s voice is hoarse and soft as he slowly wakes up.

“We’re at the hospital, kiddo.”  _ There was an accident _ , Jack bites back the sentence, not sure how much Tony remembers. He watches as the teenager frowns for a few minutes before the frown turns to teary eyes and upturned eyebrows.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have run. I ran, I panicked, I-” The heart monitor beeping faster as Tony’s voice gets stringer makes Jack internally panic.

“Hey, shh. You don’t need to apologize for anything.” Jack hurries to calm down his son, not wanting him to stress himself out or cause anymore damage. A few large tears slide down Tony’s face and Jack reaches up to wipe them away, carefully avoiding the oxygen tubes.

“If I hadn’t said anything or even been like this in the first place, we wouldn’t be here.” Race sobs, not being able to hold back anymore. Of course he’s worried for the fallout, eventually his dad will react. Eventually he’ll hate Race.

“You know why I didn’t say anything when you told me?” Jack says the first thing to come to his mind. He had imagined this conversation hundreds of times, but never knew how to actually start it. He takes a shaky breath as Tony’s bottom lip quivers. “I didn’t say anything because I panicked. I’ve…”

Jack has to steel himself to start the next sentence.

“I like guys too, Anthony. I like guys and girls.” Jack winces after saying it. It sounds odd to say, especially since he hasn’t said it since he told his parents. “I froze when you came out to me because when I came out to my parents, they kicked me out. I didn’t know how to react without scaring you off.”

Race stares at Jack, but instead of sobbing in fear of rejection and disappointment, a relieved smile works onto his face.

“Well no shit, look where we are.” Race rubs his eyes as more sobs wrack his body. Jack laughs, any anxiety over the matter melting away. He stands up and leans over Race to give him a careful hug.

“I’ll never be disappointed in you, Tony. Never.” Jack sighs and takes a second to press and kiss to Race’s forehead.

Race hugs his dad back as best he can, leaning his forehead against his dad’s chest. 

_ This is it. This is my safe place. I’m home _ . Race thinks. His dad doesn’t hate him. His dad accepts him. For once, everything is perfectly okay.

He’s okay.

They’re okay.

_ Someone take me home... _


End file.
